A Sorta Fairytale
by Lady Bloodless
Summary: An alternate ending to the Season Six Finale that takes place on the battlefields. First ever fic for the show! X/A! Feedback is greatly appreciated, will expand to several chapters.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is my first Xena fic, I don't expect anyone to like it very much but I figured I would put it out there. It's a slightly more alternative ending to the season six finale. Please review!

* * *

She is far from home, staggering on foreign ground with a sword grasped loosely in her bloodied hands. The first arrow that had bitten into her flesh had started the fire and now as she was decorated with the long shafts of feathered wood she could almost feel herself burning had it not been for the desperate desire to gain ground…to keep moving through this chaos. A samurai rushes her, his war cry barely heard over the surrounding din that pressed deeply into Xena's ear drums.

_I feel so heavy…_

Knowing that her time is short at hand her grip tightens at the hilt of her weapon, watching this man come and wondering if perhaps she should just let him take her. Startling blue eyes narrow as the clash of metal and THUD! of bodies melt away—soon the sound of her heart beat is the only thing she can hear. So loud is its thumping that it becomes a rhythm that her body moves to, thick and fluid she seems to swim through the air, a feral scream torn from her throat as she runs the nameless man through.

Her target is here somewhere…the damned man that had schemed to take her away from this life and enslave her in the next. Glad that Gabrielle was gone from this horror she spun and danced a warrior's ballet, knowing that the beloved blonde would not be here to see her friend overcome. The raven-haired woman only took but a second to decide her course of action: she would take out as many as she could. Already her arms were growing numb, her steps slowing as blood sluiced down from her broken armor, a copper-flavored river rising in her throat.

_There isn't enough time. I'll never make it to him. _This realization releases a bubble of fury and panic, the people running through the fields roughly brushing past her to escape someone…or something. Jostled and already unsteady her feet give out from under her and she falls to her knees in a haze of matted hair. Sweat clinging to her face she drags herself forward like a dying animal, teeth clenched as battered hands scrabble at the ground beneath her. _Get up. Get up. Get up! _She can almost see Gabrielle begging her, the voice in her head stuck on a fevered repeat.

For once it seems as though the Warrior Princess does not sense the presence of a man behind her, blade arched high with only the worst of intentions.

* * *

He is pacing in one of his sister's oldest temples, lips twisted into a silent snarl that would make even a Gorgon think twice before even making an attempt to discern what the problem was. Aphrodite had been watching him for some time now, pink stiletto clad feet tapping impatiently as she waited for him to make his decision. She knows very well that if she offers her expert opinion he would likely not take it or set about to destroying her favorite hangout and that was more than just a little unacceptable.

Growing bored of the silence her attention wavers and returns to what else but her own appearance. Lightly touching the long blonde tresses that had forever been her trademark she wondered absently if a make-over was in order. After all, she had been thinking about having a 'me time' day for a week or so and attending to her needs was the most effective use of her time aside from fostering love in the silly mortals that were never absent from her temple. Tearing her eyes away from the mirror she had been staring at her lips pulled together in a pout reminiscent of a two-year-old.

"Areeessss, like, have you decided what you're gonna do? I mean, this is kind of a do or die situation."

Eyebrow twitching, the God of War did not deign to turn around and face his sibling. Instead he closed his eyes and _listened_. Xena might have been on another continent with an entirely new set of deities but he could still feel her.

And it was killing him.

Every arrow that lodged itself into her body was like a knife plunging into his, and he was caught between leaving and staying. Would she even want to see him? Could he stomach watching her die once more without being able to do anything about it?

A soft hand was placed on his shoulder, the warmth of its encouragement felt even beneath the layers of leather he wore.

"Ares…no one deserves to die alone. This is your last chance to tell her—"

"I HAVE TOLD HER! I'VE TOLD HER SO MANY TIMES IN SO MANY WAYS AND NONE OF IT MAKES A BIT OF DIFFERENCE!" The frustration in his voice gave way to pain, his female companion fluttering backward like a silk scarf. He quiets upon seeing the expression on her face—the way she seems to crumple like a piece of parchment.

In truth her heart is heavy with mourning for her brother and the situation that he currently faces. It isn't fair and it isn't fun to watch as his heart (who knew it was still there?) getting ripped out continuously.

"This time it will. If you don't go now you're going to regret it forever and forever just so happens to be a long time." She turns away from him, staring hard at a tapestry to keep her eyes from watering. Even as her back is turned she feels a subtle shift in the chemistry of the air and knows that Ares is no longer standing in her temple.

"This is, like, so UNFAIR!"

* * *

She stops trying to pull herself forward and finally she seems to sense the man standing behind her, ready to strike a killing blow. Xena slowly draws herself up and turns to face him, lips splitting in a Cheshire grin as dirtied arms spread wide to welcome Death.

Her attacker stares for a moment, disconcerted before he draws his blade back in a preparation for a quick slice.

His fatal mistake was closing his eyes.

She waits for the blow to come, welcomes it even but it never lands and suddenly she knows why. A familiar figure stands in front of her in all of his menacing, godly glory. His hand is tightened around the wriggling man's throat, eyes dark with a lethal mixture of emotions.

"Ares…"

The sickening sounds of bone crunching fell like a thunder clap and broke over Xena's ears. The man was limp and lifeless as the Grecian God flung him like a ragdoll and whirled around, not bothering to see where the insignificant ant landed.

He drank her in, the arrows, the blood, and the dimming light in her eyes.

For the second time in his life Ares, God of War, was near to tears.

"Xena…"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Greetings Earthlings! It is I, Hannah! That one chick that has writing A.D.D. Seriously, I need to work on a chapter for my Roswell fic after I'm done with this one. I'm also sorry it took a while for me to update; school and research for upcoming chapters and such. Love y'all! Reviews make me smile?

* * *

She does not understand how he could have come to be here, her thoughts shattered like glass on the ground around her. She felt vaguely comforted, knowing that he was there but she would never tell him so and he would never expect her to. Wobbling on already unsteady legs she felt herself pitch forward and seemed to fall straight into his arms.

Ares took a knee on the battlefield with his warrior tucked safely into the crook of his arm, staring down at her with undisguised panic in his eyes. The ugly mask of rage his face had once been contorted into would forever be tattooed in her last memories of him, and maybe this was sick to admit but it was something she would recall fondly in the afterlife. In that moment she had seen a brief glimmer of protectiveness, that same glimmer that had meant the destruction of both gods and men for her.

"I don't think I'll be making it off of the battlefield today," Her voice was cracked and dry, a desert taking up residence in her mouth and on her tongue. She tried to smile but it hurt so badly even to breathe that she just wanted to slip away into the ether but the look in his eyes was just enough to strengthen her fraying tether to the world.

"Shut up," His voice was gruff, his grip tightening around her as he listened briefly to the sound of some other God's war, "you women are always so dramatic."

* * *

Gabrielle felt a rising tide of dread welling up from the very core of her being, eyes widening as she touched the skin above where her heart was hidden. _Something is very wrong, here… _She felt so helpless; she had known that this would be the end result of this battle and that they were doing this for all of those poor souls trapped by Yodoshi. Xena had felt the full weight of her final responsibility and knew that she had wanted to accomplish this task by herself.

_I'll do whatever it takes…I'll see you again, Xena._

_

* * *

_

Blood trickled from the side of her mouth, the bitter tang of copper welling in her throat as she lay there staring up into his eyes. "I never thought it would be you."

_I am war, destruction, and slaughter, _he began to think of an old mantra, as if it might steady the very mortal shaking of his hands as he brushed the raven hair from her beautiful, bloody face,_ I am impulse, aggression, and rage. _He was going to take her home and he could fix this, he had to fix this. He was a god damned God after all and there were still enough of them left and if he had to go to the others…he would do it.

So lost in his train of desperate thought he barely caught the next words to escape her lips, they were so uncannily soft he barely felt the whisper of her breath. "But I'm glad it was you, Ares…"

Surprise ignited the fires behind his eyes as he slid an arm beneath her legs and stood up, her weight nothing. He could have been carrying only a notion of her for all he knew and as he tried to phase out of this god awful place a clattering energy burst through his own like a spear.

"What the he—"

A man in dramatic black and red regalia flanked by two desiccated corpse bodyguards had appeared before them, their master staring directly at Hades with a shark's grin splitting his black lips. "Now I know you weren't trying to take my prize from me, Ares…that's not very honorable of you at all."

"I'm anything but honorable at this point, Yen-Lo-Wang. I have every intention of getting out of here with her." His words were anything but calm and collected, his face twisted yet again in a mask of hatred. They were only wasting his time and he had not much of it left, he could feel her fading faster and faster.

"She belongs to me, I'm afraid. Yodoshi named the terms and your little princess accepted them, she is dying on MY soil, not yours." A clawed finger curled around his pointed beard as the God of Death regarded the other deity, not quite sure if he was willing to believe what he saw in the face and aura of this once careless and conniving Greek.

"Her soul is mine, it's all in the contract…I bet your little toady didn't manage to get it in writing."

"That's not good enough; I need something to bring home to the wife and kids. I don't understand why you're having so much trouble understanding this…your brother could have explained it to you. She dies here and her soul will be taken to my Hell where it justly belongs."

Through all this bickering Xena listened quietly enough, rather annoyed even in her fuzzy state. Trust Ares to bicker over her with another while she lay there silently dying. How predictable.

"How about I sweeten the pot for you, Yen-Lo? Wouldn't it be far more impressive and enticing to take a God? I would relinquish myself into your unmerciful hands and accept whatever torments your sick little mind could present me with." Frustration flickered in Ares' dark eyes but he showed no signs of faltering and his body language made it inescapably clear to the other that he was not joking in the slightest.

"You would take her place?" Yen-Lo-Wang demanded, incredulous, "You would rather be imprisoned in my Hells instead of this silly little mortal woman?! She has no more significance to this world than a flea does on the ass of a monkey!"

Blue eyes opened wide in the shadowy shelter of his embrace. She was beginning to struggle, albeit weakly, murmuring over and over again that this was not what she wanted. Not how it was supposed to be at all but Ares ignored her and spoke the next three words with the most simplicity and sincerity she might have ever heard him utter:

"I love her."

This admission was a surprise but Yen-Lo-Wang did not allow it to register on his face as he considered Ares' proposition very carefully. This deity was no better than a man and he was entering into this of his own free will or so it appeared, it would certainly impress the others that he would no doubt have to answer to. If he called off Yodoshi and Ares' godhood was exchanged for Xena's life well…there were so many interesting venues to take this on.

* * *

It was getting awfully crowded in Aphrodite's temple as her remaining family members and a few odd demi-gods gathered around the pool of water in the very center of the petal-laden floor. The blonde goddess was now pacing, absent-mindedly clicking her long, immaculate finger nails together, "He can't do this! Can he? Athena…he really can't…what are YOU going to do about this? I told him to go to her, not sell his soul to that nasty little scuzz ball!"

The Goddess of Wisdom and War inclined her head slightly, as though listening to some voice that the others could not hear over the high-pitched tantrum that was currently taking place. Piercing eyes watched the sadness that rippled over his face, resignation and love in them. "Do we indeed have souls? Does he? Ares has always been ruled by lust rather than love and perhaps he is playing a game that we know nothing of. "

Athena did not truly believe all of what she had said, eyes sliding sideways to avoid those of the others that were now centered upon her, "The rules are different from land to land, he is on foreign soil and must abide by their rules. If he chooses to give himself up for Xena who are we to intercede? He nearly destroyed us all for her…"

Turning away from the pool of water the goddess smiled and murmured, "Who knew he would finally destroy himself?"

* * *

"I accept."

Ares' gaze ascended, resignation and a gathering sense of dread gathering at the very core of him. The protests coming from his arms falling on death ears as the two men that were not men stared at each other, contemplating the magnitude of what was about to occur.

"Heal her. Now."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Sorry guys, I got caught up with school related stuff. Passing classes is very important, y'know. Hang on to your butts, a plot monkey is about to attack you in the next couple of days.

* * *

The annoying little prick standing before him was stroking his irritating little beard with a perfectly infuriating smile carved into his face. Although he had lived for eons that amount of time had not taught him a lick of patience and that was clear now as he bored holes into the other God's eyes.

"**Well? Are we done having a moment of private reflection? You have centuries to bask in the glory of this moment; I just want to get this over with."**

Xena was struggling harder now, voice paper thin as she tried to plead and argue—a dull sense of horror blooming like an ugly weed in her heart, choking her in a way that she would remember and continue to feel. A sensation akin to suffocation, her labored breaths accompanied by whistles and gurgling from a punctured lung, **"No, no, no…what…are you…doing?"**

She had accepted her fate and now all of the sudden Ares was getting chivalrous on her again? Trust him to do such a thing when she was too weak to beat the sense back into him. It had to be another one of his many tricks and games for the God of War never seemed to run out of angles, he had a hand in everything and the only reason he would let this deity take him was if he had a plan. _That had to be it, he had a plan. _It was doing nothing for the panic however and she could not help but think, albeit rather disjointedly, that this felt so final.

* * *

"**Very well…" **Turning to the east a piercing whistle screeched through the air, irritating all ears that it assaulted with its frequency.

The guards that had been surrounding the Chinese God of Death increased, some without faces and some without anything vaguely resembling limbs. Twisted corpses were closing in on their target, the smell of rotting flesh and other decomposing processes overcoming the God and his protected prize. Dark eyes blazed as he waited, feeling Xena's head drop against his chest as she was weighed down by unconsciousness and for that he was glad. She would not hear his good-bye and be able to taunt him for it later…if he had a later that is.

A gentle breeze that smelled of flowers and radiated warmth engulfed them as a goddess in a gold silk kimono stepped out of what appeared to be thin air. The serene expression that usually hung on her face strangely absent as her brows knit together, looking for Ares to Yen-Lo with something like derision pressing her painted lips together.

"**I am not a dog, Yen-Lo. You would do best to remember that, I may be the Goddess of Compassion but it only extends so far," **the words were spoken quietly, not a threat but a clear and chilling statement of fact. **"You want me to bring her to the springs as part of the bargain, correct?"**

Looking to her properly embarrassed cohort she received a nod for clarification and approached Ares, almond-colored eyes shimmering with concern as she held out her arms. **"I must admit, I never pictured you as someone that could fall in love with anything or anyone aside from yourself. For the first time in millennium I find myself pleasantly surprised."**

_Is it that unbelievable? Even Kuan Ying is making a big deal about this. _Cross thoughts slipped through the cracks in his head, looking at the shallow rise and fall of Xena's chest. He did not want to hand her over; he was never very good at sharing things with others. He would keep an image of his beautiful warrior in his thoughts as he served in the caverns and pits of the strange Hell; he knew that what he was doing was worth it. **"I'm glad I could provide you with entertainment, Kuan Ying." **

Bending close to Xena's ear he whispered his final goodbye before gently placing her in the waiting arms of the Goddess. **"Don't…drop her or anything and make sure she finds her way back to Gabrielle."**

With a nod she disappeared, taking away the one person that meant anything to him. Now as he turned to face his fate Ares was smiling, a grin that was Cheshire in its origins and one that suddenly had Yen-Lo feeling rather suspicious.

"**Well? Let the games begin."**

**

* * *

**

Aphrodite stepped backward, hands balled into fists as she stared at her sister Goddess with disbelief, **"So this is really happening? You're really going to let this happen?" **When Athena made no reply the Goddess of Love felt like throwing a vase, a Grade A temper tantrum was starting to build behind the blond's eyes.

"**What the hell did you come back for then if not to help, Athena? Why don't you just crawl back into the hole you climbed out of!" **The room was hushed as its occupants stared from one deity to the other as if anticipating some kind of cat fight.

"**Calm down, 'Dite. I wasn't the only one reborn back into the world…Ares will be taken care of," **Athena turned to regard the dark figure standing in the doorway, hooded and armored and reeking of age and power, **"Won't he, Hades?"**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **I know it has definitely been a long time since I've updated this story. I have what is commonly known as writer's ADD mixed with writer's block but I decided that I needed to work on finishing things that I start. Hopefully someone will begin reading this story again. Oh, and on a side note I will be screwing around with the format of the story to see how I want to present it.

* * *

_I know, you know winning the war is not winning at all_

_I know, you know winning the war is not winning at all_

_Winning the war and losing every battle_

_You close the door on happy ever after._

**Winning the War** by_ Aimee Mann_

_

* * *

_

She wakes up gasping, hands balled into fists that grip the furs she has been placed on. Her hair is matted and wild as the blue eyes that are wide with terror, a nightmare exorcised by her last exhalation. A cool hand reaches out to touch her fevered brow and even though she is still partially in the throes of escaping the swift blackness of the Underworld she knows exactly who touches her. _Gabrielle. _Her lips twitch and move, forming words that a voice is not yet ready to deliver as she tries to put all the puzzle pieces in place, tries to remember what happened that she might have cause for awakening in a cave that smells like jasmine and rain.

Gabrielle watches, running a hand over and over the snarled sheet of hair. Tears prick the corner of her eyes as she quietly gives thanks to the deity that saved her best friend and lifelong companion. _Dieties, _She corrects herself with a sad smile; _I wonder what she'll remember._

Choking on a single word the warrior pulls herself up into a sitting position and the hands of her best friend fall away. Xena swallows audibly before a reedy voice that couldn't (shouldn't) belong to her whimpers, **"Water."**

**

* * *

**

Somewhere beyond the scope of human imagining Ares stood, poised on a precipice over-looking one of the many levels of this new Hell he had given himself to. He was nigh powerless in this new land, far from any who worshipped him that might give him strength to wriggle his way out of this. A mountain of knives, burning, dismemberment, vast and seemingly endless icy tundra and the famed Chamber of Avici were all things he was fairly certain he could look forward to.

A clawed hand settled like a boulder on his right shoulder and he steeled himself, knowing perfectly well who stood behind him.

"**All this and more awaits you, my friend."**

He could not hide the grimace that darkened his features; Ares had known full well what he had to look forward to after making this impromptu deal but now as it was literally laid about before him he could not help but feel a very human sense of dread build in his chest.

"**What can I say, I can hardly wait."**

**

* * *

**

Having gathered most if not all of her senses Xena sat in silence at the edge of the cave, listening to the rain. Bits and pieces of the events that had led to her coming to this hideaway had been coming back to her and the more she remembered the more she seemed to distance herself from her companion who merely watched her with a hopeless expression from the small fire that crackled from within.

It all seemed so…surreal. The battlefield, the blood, and the thrum of aggression and sense of purpose that charged her veins with power; she remembered exactly why she had given in to the darker side of her nature so many times before. The chaos and destruction that her hands, those same two hands that were now grasping at her hair, could deal out so swiftly…yes, she always remembered why she had fallen in love with darkness. With the man that had seduced her with bloodlust, with blades and fire and victory.

"**I was ready, you know."**

The words are soft, more her own voice. She turned to look at Gabrielle who was now watching her with a wary expression some distance away—she was sure that the pixie blond knew full well what she was talking about but Xena felt the need to explain, to clarify.

"**I was ready, for that battle to be my very last," **She continued, gathering steam so that she could say what she felt she needed to before the unspoken words burned yet another whole in her treacherous heart. **"I was ready for the beyond, for rest and peace…to wait for you to finally join me."**

She watched as Gabrielle drew closer, her lips parted as though she wanted to say something. **"Accepting things has never been in my character but…I knew I was doing something good. It was supposed to be my last atonement."**

Gabrielle was now folded up beside Xena, wordless but listening intently nonetheless, always the best at sensing whether or not there was a good time to interject in the musings of her raven-haired friend.

"**Why did he do that?" **She can hear the anger unfolding in her voice, the frustration like flames, **"Why did he interfere?"**

Although she's sure it's a rhetorical question Gabrielle can't stop herself from saying it, **"You know why, Xena. He l—"**

"**Don't say it!" **Harsh, full of jagged points and painful barbs her voice is fraught with emotion she rarely revealed when it came to her God of War. _When had he become 'hers?' _**"He has a plan, some ultimate endgame. If I know anyone, it's him. He has some other angle or motive for what he's doing. He has to."**

They both fall silent, contemplating this. Xena has dealt with coming back from the dead rather well, better than to be expected actually. She is still weak however, the spring had healed her mortal wounds but strength; both spiritual and physical had been sapped from her. She needed to recuperate so they might begin the next leg of their journey…where ever that took them.

* * *

Millions of voices screamed out in a macabre chorus of pain and eternal torment, assaulting the senses with ear-splitting shrieks, the foul smell of decaying flesh, and the grotesque nature of remorseless and unrelenting torture.

Ares had endured most of it with stoicism and witty repartee from behind gritted teeth, cutting out his finger and toe nails…breaking and re-breaking bones. The entire mortal coil had unwound itself before him in an endless loop of pain and horror as he was used for sport, entertaining the Lords of Hell and their families. Finally he was able to commiserate with humanity, pain and guilt and love…how could he and why did he feel any or all of it?

Even as they carved away and a sob of grief was torn from his mouth he could only think: _I love you, I love you _as they cut him to pieces.

* * *

Xena was moving, bathing in the stream to clean the blood from her body and combing the mats from her hair. The cool rush of water shocked her senses as she stretched her aching muscles, pointedly ignoring Gabrielle. This wound was too new, the horror too real. As she stepped from the water she turned, sensing someone or something else watching her.

Turning with a dagger in hand she was confronted by none other than Kuan Ying. The goddess was watching her with something akin to pity in her midnight eyes. Xena couldn't take it, being looked at like that and even though she owed the goddess a great debt she felt a snarl rising to her lips.

"**Don't look at me like that!" **

"**I'm sorry, warrior. I know you must be upset but I come bearing a message from Aphrodite."**

_Aphrodite? That featherhead? _Lips pursed and voice even she came to stand beside Gabrielle, eyes flickering sideways to gauge the blonde's reaction. Gabrielle's face had a serious cast, green gaze focused unflinchingly on the Goddess.

"**What is it?"**

"**Ares is going to need your help, the Greek Pantheon has a plan but it can't be executed without your help."**

So this had not been planned? He was really trapped? Calmly drying off and wringing out her hair she picked up her sword, her clothes. **"What do I have to do?"**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:**Yes, I'm a bad, bad writer! I dunno what's wrong with me I just kinda float away for a while. Anyway, apologies for leaving people hanging and such…it's a bad tendency of mine and I'm a tad rusty but I did some research for this story as I do with all my stories so if you feel like playing fact checker go on ahead! Again, just to remind people who might be confused this story is a little in the realm of AU for the Xena!Verse…obviously but just for clarification purposes to other people.

* * *

All war is deception.  
**- Sun Tzu**

* * *

"What do I have to do?" Adjusting her breast band and slipping a chainmail chemise over her chest she seemed unabashed, even in the presence of a Goddess. The Yi were certainly not to her liking but beggars couldn't be choosers when your usual garb was full of holes and melted in some places.

She could feel the strange, inhuman eyes upon her as she pulled Shang over scarred calves and buttocks, finally disguising her lower half from view. Xena had taken artistic liberty in modifying the skirt to give a better range of flexibility, all the while cursing the modesty of Japanese garb and she was sure that Kuan Yi was extremely amused by her show of frustration.

"Hades has extended an offer to aid you in retrieving Ares; in order to do so he must have a foot hold in order to enter into the Underworld and you must have protection. There is a set of armor, a sacred weapon, and there's something else…" Her porcelain-skinned features rippled briefly and Xena caught sight of opalescent scales and her eyes widened briefly, the interest still there.

"What is it?" Xena leaned forward and the heady scent of Japanese blossoms hit her. This not-woman, strange God emanated a calm and peace that the mortal sitting next to her could only wish to someday possess.

"You must believe in them."

"Believe in whom?"

"Your original Gods, Xena…not those that aided you in their slaughter. Your beliefs are still in the old ways, the only reason the Greek Pantheon was not completely razed was because people still believe. There is not one singular reason why all immortals should die so that one newly created can exist. People should be allowed to believe as they like." Politics, something Xena never wanted to be involved in again but believing in a group of immortals that had tried to destroy her family? That was asking a little much but before she could protest Kuan Yi held up a painted palm.

"Believe in them and you will have your victory and your God of War." A long-nailed hand went for the arm of her robe and produced an onyx scroll sealed with a skull. "This holds the descriptions and locations of your needed artifacts but be warned, warrior, they are guarded by creatures you may not have seen before."

Taking the scroll Xena snorted, "If it can be killed I can kill it."

"Be careful, Xena, I'll be watching." And with that she disappeared.

* * *

"Let me get this straight…Hades isn't dead, none of the Greek Gods were killed? They want you to find some ancient weapons forged from the body of some powerful dragon, guarded by gods-knows-what and then somehow sneak your way down into the Japanese equivalent of the underworld?" Gabrielle sat with tanned legs overlapping, leaning against a rock as she watched her companion sharpen her weapons. Xena had been extremely quiet after her talk with the Goddess Kuan Yi but she had slowly let slip the bits and pieces of the conversation that had taken place and Gabrielle was still trying to wrap her head around the whole mess. Of course she would be going with the dark-haired woman; there was no other option in her mind. Xena would always need her whether she admitted it or not and if she were to recapture these bits of armor and weaponry to take with her down into some hellish place to save Ares she would certainly need back up.

Xena remained silent for a moment, blue eyes glazed over with concentration as she recounted her instructions and absorbed the information—there was no time to question the Goddess' words, she was the brawn and Gabrielle was the brains, not to say that she still had a few of her brain cells left after being knocked around and stabbed. When she realized that Ares wasn't about to pop up in front of her with a self-assured grin and a witty joke she knew she would have to descend into Hell to get to him. Hiding behind a curtain of long jet hair as the rhythmic _Shing! Shing! Shing! _Of the sharpening blade had momentarily drowned out her friend's talking,

"Xena!"

Her head snapped up, eyes refocusing as she glanced over at the strawberry blond, "I'm sorry…I was just thinking, what were you saying?"

"I was saying that this whole thing just seems like it's going to end in some trap, the Gods don't do anything without some kind of price, Xena. This is beyond dangerous, what they want you to do, how you're going to go about doing it. Are you sure you can do this?" Gabrielle was fixed with a stony glare and she sighed, meeting the gaze with a steadiness that came with time spent under those same ornery glances. She disliked pointing out the negatives, especially when this particular quest was so all-fired important to her beloved friend but had she not cared she would not have said a word. She knew that Xena was thinking with her heart instead of her head and that she would need the outside opinion. Shifting her tanned legs until they overlapped she raked a hand through her hair in frustration.

"I'm sorry, Xena. I know how important this is to you but it would not be the first time that we walked into something we thought we prepared for only to be confronted with something totally, indescribably different."

"Which is why I need you, Gabrielle but only if you are with me. It's all or nothing and I know that there is going to be a price for this because there is always a price but I cannot…" Her voice shakes with emotion, blue eyes flaring with rage and a disconcerting emotion that she would rather not think about, "I cannot just leave him there."

Gabrielle got to her feet, a frown painting her lips as she made her way over to Xena and placed a hand on the woman's shoulder. "What do we have to do?"

Pulling out the scroll Xena broke the seal and was greeted with the first description.

"Well it looks like we'll be going to the Bicchu province; they have a cuirass for us."

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry this chapter ran a little short, I'm still trying to get back into it. The next chappie will be tons better I promise!

_cuirass - is a piece of armour, formed of a single or multiple pieces of metal or other rigid material, which covers the front of the torso. In a suit of armour this important piece was generally connected to a back piece and __cuirass_ could refer to the complete torso-protecting armour.


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